FAQ About the Centre
Background
The Jim Pattison Centre for Health Systems Learning + Innovation (JP Centre) is a new, independent learning organization created to accelerate innovation and strengthen health systems across British Columbia (BC).
Co-created by Interior Health (IH) and the Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Foundation, with input from community, clinical, academic, and Indigenous partners including representatives from the 7 First Nations and Metis communities within the Interior, the JP Centre serves as a hub for collaboration, learning, and practical innovation that improves care for all.
The JP Centre was established to bridge the gap between great ideas and real-world solutions in healthcare. Too often, innovative ideas remain siloed or under-supported. The JP Centre provides a flexible and collaborative environment where promising ideas can be tested, scaled, and sustained to improve health outcomes and system performance.
The JP Centre operates as fully independent for-profit social enterprise. IH and the KGH Foundation are founding partners who provide strategic guidance and support; however, the JP Centre’s structure allows it to act nimbly and neutrally collaborate broadly and engage diverse partners across BC’s health ecosystem.
Business Model and Services
The JP Centre operates under a for-profit business model designed to enable long-term sustainability of health innovations and reinvestment back into the cycle of health innovation discovery and application. Any profits generated through the Centre’s activities are reinvested directly into supporting health innovation and health systems learning, supporting new ideas, applied research, and partnerships that align with the Centre’s themes and priorities.
This model allows the Centre to remain financially self-sustaining while continuing to be a catalyst for transformational innovation and learning across BC’s health system. It combines the agility of a business approach with a clear commitment to advancing health innovation for social good.
The JP Centre uses a consensus distributed decision-making model that brings together a range of content expertise to guide decisions and investments. This includes:
- Scholarly expertise – grounding decisions in evidence, research, and best practices.
- Lived and living experience – ensuring the perspectives of patients, families, and communities are central to our work.
- Health system perspectives – drawing on the insights of clinicians, leaders, and operational experts to align innovations with local and community priorities and needs.
- Health system data – seeking, analyzing, and generating new knowledge from practice data and exploring integration into practice to support a learning health system.
This collaborative approach ensures that decisions are well-rounded, equitable, and grounded in the realities of both communities and the health system.
The JP Centre offers a range of supports designed to move health innovation from idea to impact. These include:
Idea Exploration & Consultation
- Talk through your idea, get quick advice, or identify next steps.
- Perfect if you are still shaping your concept or unsure what kind of support you need.
- Connection & Partnership Facilitation
- We help you connect with the right people, programs, or opportunities including collaborators, funders, and organizational partners.
Funding Navigation & Grant Support
- Guidance on identifying funding opportunities and preparing strong applications.
- Can include letters of support or introductions to partners to strengthen your proposal.
Engagement & Facilitation
- Support for engaging communities, health systems, and other partners.
- Includes facilitation for meetings or collaborative planning sessions.
Project Development & Implementation
- Hands-on help to scope, design, and bring your project to life.
- Includes advice on team building, partnerships, practical implementation steps, and sustainment.
Evaluation & Health Systems Learning
- Support to design evaluation plans, develop metrics, carry out quality improvement, and measure impact.
Knowledge Mobilization & Communication
- Help sharing your results, translating insights into practice, and reaching the right audiences.
Contracting & Legal Guidance
- Assistance developing MOUs, service agreements, or other project-related contracts.
We work with a wide range of partners including health system leaders, clinicians, researchers, innovators, interest groups, community organizations, Indigenous and rural partners, and individuals with lived and living experience. The Centre’s focus is on enabling collaboration that leads to meaningful, sustainable change.
Strategy and Engagement
The JP Centre is currently developing a comprehensive three-year strategic plan. This will be co-created through an
in-depth engagement process with interest holders and rights holders across the Interior and the Province. The goal is to ensure the strategy reflects shared priorities, community wisdom, and diverse perspectives on what innovation and health systems learning could look like in practice.
The engagement process will include a mix of approaches designed to invite diverse voices and perspectives. These may include:
- One-on-one and small group conversations
- Workshops and listening sessions
- Virtual and in-person forums
- Collaborative sensemaking sessions to synthesize insights into shared directions and priorities
- Participation in community events and other gatherings when invited, to listen, learn, and strengthen relationships
While the final strategy will be shaped by engagement input, key focus areas are expected to include:
- Building capacity for innovation across health and community settings.
- Strengthening collaboration across organizations, sectors, and disciplines.
- Accelerating real-world testing and real-time learning.
- Embedding equity, reconciliation, and lived experience at the core of all work
The engagement and strategy development process will unfold over 2025-2026, with the final three-year strategy anticipated for release in Fall 2026.
Working with the Centre
Anyone interested in collaborating with the Jim Pattison Centre for Health Systems Learning + Innovation is welcome to reach out directly by email at info@jpcentre.ca.
The Centre officially opened in July 2025 and is still in the development stage—building our team, processes, and partnerships. At the same time, we are already actively engaging with individuals and organizations who want to share ideas or explore opportunities for collaboration across a broad range of health and system innovation topics.
Whether you are developing a new idea, seeking partners to test a concept, or simply curious about how the Centre can support your work, we would be happy to connect and explore potential alignment.
The JP Centre is in the process of developing regular updates and communication channels to keep partners and communities informed about the Centre’s activities. These will include:
- Updates on our website
- A regular newsletter
- Opportunities to participate in community and partner forums
- Occasional social media updates and event announcements
As these channels are developed, we will share information on how to subscribe and stay connected. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us at info@jpcentre.ca for more information or to be added to our early contact list. Thank you for your interest in staying connected with the JP Centre!